Severe storms rock nation’s midsection

Severe storms are sweeping across the central U.S., and forecasters warn tornadoes could turn dangerous across several states.

On Thursday night, storms ripped through Oklahoma, and video from near the town of Fairview shows a large funnel lit by lightning. Authorities say a 47-year-old woman and her 13-year-old daughter died in a crash that appears to have been tornado-related. Storms could be even more intense Friday and Saturday, as more than 7 million Americans are at the highest risk of severe weather in an area that includes the metropolitan areas of Kansas City, Missouri; Tulsa, Oklahoma; and Omaha, Nebraska.

US loses 92,000 jobs in February

WASHINGTON — American employers unexpectedly cut 92,000 jobs last month, a sign that the labor market remains under strain. The unemployment rate blipped up to 4.4%.

The Labor Department reported Friday that hiring deteriorated from January, when companies, nonprofits and government agencies added a healthy 126,000 jobs. Economists had expected 60,000 new jobs in February. Revisions also cut 69,000 jobs from December and January payrolls. The surprisingly weak employment picture in February adds to the economic uncertainty over the war with Iran, which has caused oil prices to surge and saddled business and consumers with unforeseen costs.

Misery reported at big detention camp

EL PASO, Texas — The calls to 911 poured in from staff at Camp East Montana, the nation’s largest U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility, in its first months of operation in El Paso, Texas. The emergencies included repeated suicide attempts by detainees, seizures, injuries from fights and a pregnant woman in pain. Data from more than a hundred 911 calls obtained by The Associated Press, interviews with detainees and court filings offer a portrait of overcrowding, medical neglect, malnutrition and emotional distress. A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson rejected claims of subprime conditions, saying detainees receive food, water and medical treatment in a facility that’s regularly cleaned.

Fire tears through Mexico town

MEXICO CITY (AP) — A fire burned more than 60 cabanas and shops in a small tourist town in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca early Friday, but left no casualties, according to Punta Zicatela Mayor Román Valencia said. Authorities say they believe the fire was caused by a short circuit. Valencia spoke during a live broadcast from his Facebook account several hours after the fire started, which showed him walking through a devastated landscape littered with debris, charred palm trees, twisted tin roofs and piles of ash.

The Associated Press

Neighbors were helping to clean up while rescue teams continued to extinguish the last embers.